Newsletter

Broke Hill GC Friday 15^th May 2009

Thirty players were extremely fortunate to enjoy fair weather – we all remained dry despite unfavourable forcasts and very wet conditions over the previous few days.

The course was in excellent condition although in my humble opinion there was too much sand in some of the traps, I did experience many of them, displaying some inconsistency in conditions.

My thanks go to John Carter my vice captain, who looked after you admirably at Faversham, I apologise most sincerely for my non attendance at my first fixture as captain.

Thanks are also due to all members of the committee, particularly Roy for organising the day and to Bill for enthusiastically collecting the money as usual, he does a great job in all financial matters, please give him your full support at all times to make his position easier.

We were looked after very well by the catering staff at the club, the grub wasn’t bad either, I hope you all enjoyed the food.

During play there were some excellent scores, with many demonstrating their ability to play below par.

The results were as follows:

Nearest Pin

4^th Graham WOODLEY

8^th Mark PARSONS

11^th Tim LEE

17^th Dave ROBINSON

Nearest Pin 3^rd Shot

15^th Paul DAMPER

Divisional Winners

Div 3 Dave VERGA 33 Points

Div 2 Peter BARRETT 39 Points

Div 1 Peter SELF 39 Points

Overall Winner

Peter SELF 23 points on back 9 congratulations Peter

Special mention to Dave ROBINSON, also scoring an excellent 39 points but losing out on count back to both overall and Div 1 winner.

Well done and many thanks to all who turned up and supported the society, hopefully see you next time Friday 19^th June at Deangate Ridge.

Steve J

Faversham Golf Club 17.4.09

We’ll it’s the start of a new golfing season and 26 members plus 4 guests turned up, with high hopes and a spring in their step on a grey damp morning, to battle it out for our St George’s Trophy at a course we’ve not played for a while, Faversham.

The course was in very good condition despite the amount of rain the night before. The bunkers were very wet but Mr Dewitt and myself dried most of them out (by thrashing about in them), I hope the groups behind appreciated it.

It was nice to see Robin playing again and judging by the drive I saw him hit on the 14^th it will not be long before he’s in the winner’s enclosure.

Tony Dewitt asks me to thank Paul Damper for finding his ball, Tony had hit a tree in the middle of the 6^th fairway and Paul was in the middle of the 1^st fairway when he came across it. Tony reckoned it was a great position to come in from.

I do hope you all enjoyed the day; I only had one complaint from a member….. OK Lionel, I promise not to put you out with that Dave Verga again.

We had the presentation of last seasons Order of Merit:

Ladies award went to Elisabeth Wilding.

Gents to John Carter (nice to get it back from that Roy Goodhew chap)

Well done to all our winners on the day, they were:

Faversham nearest the pin on 3 Mike Edwards

Nearest the pin on 9 Peter Self

Nearest the pin on 13 Steve Clowes

Nearest the pin on 16 Peter Barrett

Nearest the pin in 3 in 3 Paul Damper

Best guest was Richard Downard with 40 pts who just pipped Stewart Ryan 39 pts

Best Ladies score Sharon Sproat 26pts

Div 3 winner Peter Barrett 33pts

Div 2 winner Paul Damper 33pts

Div 1 winner Mike Edwards 36 pts Overall winner Mike.

Well, that’s about it for this month, our Captain will be back for the next venue and we can blame him if the weather is poor.

Next match at Broke Hill on the 15^th May. I’ll send out reminders soon.

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Westerham 14th March

This will be my last golf day report for Mags as Captain.so on a personal level may I take this opportunity to thank all the members that have supported me over the past twelve months.The year has gone very quickly,but it would be very remiss of me not to thank your committee for all their hard work behind the scenes,so that the society can run very smoothly.

On to the golf which was played at Westerham Golf course,on the 14th March 2008,a course built in 1976,as a parkland course.We again feared the worst as far as the weather was concerned,and true enough we tee`d off in gentle rain.But after two holes it all disappeared and the day was ideal for golf.But with the course so soft from all the recent rain there was no run on the ball,so the course played to its full length.To the prizes;-

Nearest the pin 4th hole Steve Jones

8th Graham Woodley

11th Peter Gray

13th Terry Pink

Nearest the pin in three shots,10th hole Mark Campfield

Best Guest Kevin Warncken off a handicap of 28 with 31 points

Best Lady Elisabeth Wilding 28 30

Division One Roy Goodhew 15 35

Division Two Peter Gray 20 38

Division Three William Laider 26 24

Overall winner Peter Gray

Next meet Broke Hill on the 18th April 2008

Woldingham 18^th January 2008

The day arrived and 39 golfers {there were 3 non showers} arriving in a great deal of trepidation to play golf, in what can only be described, without fear of contradiction, atrocious conditions. Many courses would have been under water, but not Woldingham. The course was built on chalk, which provided excellent drainage, and which allowed the members to play, with some excellent scores being recorded.

The results:- Nearest the pin on the 2nd Barry Clark

7th Roy Goodhew*

11th Peter Self

15th Paul Fenn

17th Terry Pink

Nearest the pin in 3 shots Lee Fox

*an extra prize was awarded to Ross Haughton, with his name being washed off the marker board

Best Guest Malcolm Chambers

Best Lady Elisabeth Wilding with 29 points playing off 29

Division one winner Barry Clark with 40 points playing off 17

Division two winner Gordon Graham with 37 points playing off 18

Division three winner Paul Damper with 30 points playing off 23

Overall winner Barry Clark

Next meet Broome Park Canterbury 15th February 2008

Golf Day West Malling ,7th December 2007

With heavy rain and gales the night before our Christmas meet, were entitled to fear the worse for the golf. But the morning brought blue skies and a gentle zephyr, perfect for golf. A pity so many of our committee were unable to make the meet.

We played the Spitfire course on the West Malling complex, course built in 1974 and quite ingenious the way an 18 hole course has been shoehorned in the area available the overall winner with 40 points playing off 13 was Mike Edwards. The christmas gifts bought by the players was selected based on the number points scored. The other prizes for nearest the pins were won as follows:-

3rd Harvey Allan

7th John Carter

9th..................

16th Mike Edwards

18th Tracey Holmes

Nearest the pin in three shots on the 12th was Malcolm Chambers.

Next meet Woldingham on the 18th January 2008

KINGS HILL NOV 2007

On a cold and frosty morning some 35 golfers,waited for the all clear to start their rounds,play started from various tees at about 10.30,on a course that was built in 1996,described as a heathland course.But the writers sat nav still directs him to the local school.Again we were lucky with the weather and the meal afterwards was not disapointing.

To the winners:-

Nearest the pin hole 6th Deryk Carlile

8th Tony De Witt

11th no winner

17th Graham Fowler

Nearest the pin in 3 shots on the 10th Tony De Witt

Rest assured the missing prizes will be presented at the next meet!

Best Guest Chris Woods with a handicap of 18 and a total of 36 points (winning on a count back) There were in fact four guests with 36 points.

Ladies winner Mary Spanner ,handicap 30 and with a total of 30 points

Winner Division one Terry Pink,handicap 17 with 41 points

two David Ware,handicap 20 with 38 points

three David Taylor,handicap 24 with 36 points

Overall winner Terry Pink

September - Captains Day

Tudor Park

Captains Day was held at Marriott Tudor Park, a course created in 1988,with s.s.s.of 69, it was in good condition, with the greens playing slightly on the fast side. For the first time Captains Day was played on a Friday, one of the reasons was to try and avoid slow play by other golfers on the course. On the hold a successful decision, another reason ,we were able to get cheaper rates for a weekday. It was a good turn out both for the golf and the evening meal. It was also good to see so many of our members partners attend the evening function. Hopefully they took advantage of the Gym, swimming pool and sauna.

There were various prizes for the best point score on the par 3's,par 4's,and par 5's they were Sharon Sproat, Tracey Dancey, Dawn Stovel, Stephen Day and Peter Barrett.

Nearest the pin 4th hole Deryk Carlie

7th hole Elisabeth Wilding

10th hole Peter Self

17th hole Barry Clark

Nearest the pin in three shots Richard Dancy

Captains Putter comp. Terry Pink

Winner Best Guest Tracy Holmes with 39 points handicap 30

Lady winner Mary Spanner with 37 points handicap 30

Winner 3rd Division Les Sheward with 40 points handicap 24

Winner 2nd Division Peter Gray with 37 points handicap 21

Winner 1st Division Terry Pink with 39 points handicap 18

Overall Winner Les Sheward

The winter pairs winners were presented with the cup and their medals they were Terry Pink and Barry Clark,the runner ups were also presented with their medals,they were Steve Tothill and Chris Howlett.

The next meet is on the 19th October at Canterbury.

August meet-Birchwood Park

The August meet was held at Birchwood Park on the 17th August 2007.The course was built in 1990,and the general opinion that day ,was that the greens were very good,and the course generally was in good condition.This was reflected in the scores returned, being above average for a golf day.In fact only 3 players played below their handicap,not bad for the nearly 40 members who played,again we were lucky with the weather.

Results:- Nearest the pin on the 4th Lionel Bartholomew.

8th David Taylor.

12th Mark Parsons

14th Peter Self.

16th PaulDamper.

Nearest the pin in 3 shots 17th, Roy Croucher

Best Guest Lionel Bartholomew,39 points

Ladies winner Mary Spanner 39 points off 33

Division 1 Nigel Lee 44 points off 19

Division 2 David Ware 41 points off 21

Division 3 Stephen Day 41 points off 24

Overall winner Nigel Lee.

Westerham 16th March 2007

On a glorious Spring morning 42 MAGS members ( including a record 7 ladies ) played the very impressive Westerham course. On arrival we enjoyed a full English breakfast which fortified us for the exertions which were to follow. The course set in the North Downs is very picturesque and the bright sunshine enhanced the enjoyment of the day. The course was in very good condition but proved testing for all the members as the low scores recorded showed. Following the golf, members enjoyed sitting in the sun on the terrace of the well appointed clubhouse, to slake their thirst and watch the action on the approach over the water to the 18th green. The two course meal which followed the golf was well appreciated by the members and after the presentation the A.G.M. was held. A special word of congratulations to Chairman Steve Tothill and his playing partner Mike Edwards, who despite recent injuries successfully completed the course. The results were as follows :-

On a mild but overcast and rather blustery winters day 31 members and guests tackled the aptly named Hurricane course at The West Malling Golf Club. The fairways were remarkably firm given the recent wet weather but the greens were somewhat " fluffy" which made putting out a little of a lottery. Despite this the societies "star" players shone through taking all the major honours. The Christmas Dinner which followed the contest was superb and special thanks must go to Roy Goodhew for his hard work in organising the event so well, from the mince pies,brandy and port on the 12th hole to the after dinner entertainment of carols,duets and a special rendition of the singing postman by Roy on guitar, everyone left full of the Christmas spirit.

Thirty five members and eight guests played the course at Kingshill on a bright but blustery day with the winners recording some commendable scores. The club and course was formed just ten years ago and although some members unfamiliar with the Kingshill complex of shops and housing estates got lost arriving and departing, all found the clubhouse to be excellent and the course to be well maintained. The fairways and greens were in good condition and with numerous sand traps for the unwary ( or inaccurate! ) it made for a good days golf. The general consensus being that it was well worth considering for future years.

October. who would have thought that we would seating in the sun after a most enjoyable game of golf, even after a start shrouded in fog. The course at Boughton, Faversham was a fair ,but the scores overall reflected a stern test.

Your committee has decided that in future players must putt out if they can still score.

Please note date for the next meeting is 10th at Kings Hill. We have also booked Captain day for FRIDAY 21st September 2007,at Tudor Park, Please pop the date in your diary. Finally our best wishes go to David Ware, who should be up and about by now, and planning to run in the London Marathon next year.

The weather for Captain's Day, which was held at The Kent National Golf Club on Saturday 9th September, was ideal for the occasion and 41 members and guests enjoyed the late summer sun and picturesque surroundings of the course set in the Weald of Kent. The day started with coffee and a light snack for those who wanted it at 11.00 in the very impressive clubhouse and patio area, with the first tee off being at 12.00.

The course itself proved very challenging with some very long holes, long walks between the tees and some quite demanding hills to climb. With not much water, although a lot of formidable bunkers, the skill of the players was put to the test, so it was very much to the credit of all that some very respectable scores were recorded. Being a very popular golf course and also very long, members did find it slow at times and the average time to complete the course was around 5 hours. After showering, changing and being joined by wives and partners 49 sat down to a 3 course meal of prawn cocktail,roast beef, apple strudel and custard , coffee and wine.The captain thanked everyone for supporting him on his day and in particular praised the hard work and dedication of the officers of the society who worked tirelessly on behalf of the members, he then presented the prizes as follows.

PLEASE NOTE THAT HANDICAP CARDS SHOULD BE CORRECTLY COMPLETED ! ! SIGNED BY BOTH PLAYER & MARKER, DATED, POINTS SCORED BOTH INDIVIDUAL HOLES AND TOTALLED.